Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 2-4-22

Features
Church Offers Free Second Chance Training Program
Native Son Becomes Chief Of Surgery At Advent Health
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Staff Writer
For those looking for a fresh start or career, the Second Chances Con- struction Training Pro- gram may be just the ticket.
The program is held at Mt. Zion AME Church in Riverview and is a partner- ship with Adonai’s Second Chances, Inc. (ASCI), whose mission is to serve the needs of Hillsborough County.
Reverend Karen Jackson Sims, Senior Pastor at Mt. Zion AME Church Riverview, talked about the opportunities with the training program.
“Often people just need a second chance. Sometimes we make mistakes along the way, and those mistakes hang over our heads, often closing doors of opportunity and not the person we are.”
Participants will get the opportunity to be- come certified, paid training internships, earn their GED, and gain important skills in con- struction, including highway and heavy con- struction.
The students go through a computerized certification program and have class time
REV. KAREN JACKSON SIMS
... Pastor of Mt. Zion AME Church in Riverview.
with an instructor to help them understand technicali- ties or other aspects of the program.
The program also helps with getting driver’s licenses and earning their GED. For those students that want to continue their education, Hillsborough Community College is prepared to help.
“This is not just com- puter training and book learning; this is a program that provides on-the-job training after the classes are completed. One of the biggest contractors in Florida offers heavy machin- ery and highway construc-
KITO KARIM LOPES
... Second Chances student.
tion training in the field so they get experience, and they will get paid.
“Successful completion of course and on-the-job train- ing will guarantee a job,” Rev. Sims emphasized.
Students can go at their own pace. Those without computers will be able to use the Mt. Zion AME computer lab to complete their course- work.
Anyone in Hillsborough County is eligible after in- come verification with prior- ity given to low-income households. For those earn- ing minimum wage, this is a chance to earn a living wage and provide health insur- ance for their entire family.
Formerly incarcerated individuals are encouraged to apply.
The program started on October 1, 2021, and new ap- plicants are welcome.
The program is funded by the Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) with funding com- ing from the Department of Housing and Urban Devel- opment (HUD).
For more information, visit https://www.ascbuild- ingfutures.com.
The church is located at 5920 Robert Tolle Dr., in Riverview. To apply, send contact information to asc2021project@gmail.co m or pick up an application at Mt. Zion AME Church Riverview from Monday through Friday between 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
In December of 2021,
Dr. Jeffrey B. Starling
was elected Chief of Surgery at Advent Health Tampa. Dr. Starling, a Tampa na- tive, is the son of Betty Starling and the late D. James Starling.
Dr. Starling is a gradu- ate of C. Leon King High School and the University of South Florida’s Project Up- ward Bound program. He later attended and graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Microbiol- ogy and Cell Science. He went on to receive his med- ical degree from the Univer- sity Of Florida College Of Medicine.
After medical school, Dr. Starling did his general surgery and urological sur- gery residency at Shands Teaching Hospital in Gainesville, Florida. He also completed a 2-year research fellowship with an emphasis on benign prostatic hyper- plasia (BPH) and prostate cancer.
After completing his resi- dency training, he returned to Tampa along with his wife of 28 years, Carla, and 2 daughters, Jordan and Camryn.
Dr. Starling yearned to be closer to family and to give back to the community that fostered his dream of becoming a physician. He initially started in private practice in Brandon, Florida and eventually moved to the Northern part of the city and started his own private prac- tice, New Tampa Urology in 2002.
During his time at Ad- vent Health Tampa, Dr. Starling has been Chief of Urology since 2006 and the Chair of the specialties peer
DR. JEFFREY B. STARLING ...Chief of Surgery, Advent Health
review committee since 2019.
Dr. Starling ascends to Chief of Surgery as a country deals with the COVID-19 pandemic and as Advent Health Tampa opens the Taneja Center for Surgery. This state of the art 300,000+ sq. foot addition is designed to optimize re- search, provide leading edge surgical technologies and provide enhanced care to the Tampa Community.
Dr. Starling feels blessed and honored to be chosen by his peers and the administration to represent them on Advent Health’s medical executive commit- tee. Dr. Starling is the first African American Chief of Surgery at Advent Health Tampa and is thought to be the first in Tampa. During his tenure as Chief of Sur- gery he will continue to op- erate out of his private practice, New Tampa Urol- ogy.
“Hopefully, this will in- spire some of the young peo- ple to continue to move forward and believe that someone who came from a similar background could achieve great things,” Dr. Starling said.
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